The era of UK coal is over

This week the UK stopped producing any electricity from burning coal - ending its 142-year reliance on that particular fossil fuel.

For our neighbours around the world - who live on the frontlines of the climate crisis – this is great news.

Coal is the dirtiest of fossil fuels. Any steps that reduce the overall amount of coal being burned helps limit global heating and lessens the impacts of the climate crisis. But perhaps, the bigger prize is showing what’s possible and inspiring others to speed up similar plans.

For campaigners, this is a huge victory, won over decades. And Christian Aid supporters have played their part.

Here we reflect on some of the pivotal moments in our campaigning.

For many at Christian Aid it all began in 2007, when thousands of supporters joined the Cut the Carbon march.

From Bangor in Northern Ireland to London, the march traversed over 1000 miles across the length and breadth of the UK and called on government and businesses to cut carbon emissions.

As part of the march Kenyan activist Mohamad Adow (who has gone on to found Power Shift Africa) told Gordon Brown "You, as prime minister, have the opportunity to set an example for the rest of the world to follow.”

The following year the UK government passed the Climate Change Act - the world’s first act to contain legally binding targets to reduce carbon emissions – implicit in the act would be a need to reduce the UK’s use of coal.

In 2009 many of you joined the Climate Change Day of Action in Coventry.

The day began with a service in Coventry Cathedral, followed by a New Orleans style 'funeral march' around the city, mourning those who have already died because of climate breakdown.

Campaigners then rallied outside the UK headquarters of energy giant EON to demonstrate their opposition to the company's plans to build a controversial new coal-fired power plant at Kingsnorth in Kent.

It worked. In 2010, EON shelved their plans. And recognising the writing on the wall, other plans for new coal were shelved. 

In 2015 many of you took part in our Big Shift campaign calling on the UK Government to leave fossil fuels behind.

Later that year the UK announced a coal phase-out by 2025 – at the time the UK  had 11 remaining coal power stations, which supplied 30% of the UK’s electricity.

Not content with this success you also took our campaign to the high street banks who were funding coal expansion overseas.

Emails, postcards and visits to branches of HSBC eventually convinced them to stop funding new coal power stations in highly climate-vulnerable countries like Bangladesh, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Whilst this doesn’t directly affect the UK’s use of coal, these campaign successes reinforced the bigger idea that globally coal should be consigned to history.

Of course, decades of campaigning isn’t just about a few ‘peak’ moments;

Successful campaigning is about the tireless, often unseen, efforts of thousands of people, united by hope, signing petitions, writing to MPs, joining rallies and vigils across the UK and amplifying the voices of those most impacted by the climate crisis.

For Christian Aid it’s about following Jesus, choosing to stand with people living in poverty and using our voices to bring about a better, fairer world.

This week’s closure of the UK’s last coal-fired power station could just be another step towards that world.